Viridor's recycling plant in Avonmouth will close at the end of the yearWaste management company Viridor - which owns the site - announced that the Resource Recovery Centre in Avonmouth, near Bristol, is closing due to low recycling rates.
In a statement, the company said its mechanical recycling operations have been "negatively impacted by persistently and increasingly challenging market conditions". The energy recovery facility is not affected by the closure. Consultation with those employed at Avonmouth is under way and redeployment opportunities across the business are being considered, a spokesperson from Viridor said.However, the global virgin polymer market is suffering from overcapacity due to significant growth in production in lower-cost markets outside of Europe, a spokesperson from the company said.
Many companies have switched to using alternative materials, which has resulted in a significantly reduced price for recycled plastics. Additionally, imported recycled plastics from low-cost countries have increasingly been brought to the European market.Follow BBC Bristol on